National Council drops new rental law proposal
In Switzerland, when tenants sign a lease, they have the possibility to contest the initial rent if they consider it to be ‘abusive’.
But MP Hans Egloff has submitted a motion in the parliament seeking to limit tenants’ rights to challenge their rent, with the exception of emergency situations.
On Friday, the National Council’s Legal Committee has decided not to follow up on Egloff’s proposal, concluding that it would fail to gain a majority of votes.
However, Economy Minister Guy Parmelin warned against leaving tenancy law as it is today because while “effective tenant protection is needed,” landlords should also have “entrepreneurial freedom” in terms of setting rents.
Osteopaths: More foreign diplomas should be recognised, court rules
Since February 1st, the law requires that foreign osteopaths should have their diplomas officially recognised in Switzerland in order to practice here.
But the local recognition process has led to disputes — and even several court cases — because the Swiss Red Cross (SRC), which is responsible for this task, has implemented it in an overly restrictive manner, osteopaths claim.
Now, however, the Federal Administrative Court has ruled in favour of a less restrictive practice in the recognition of foreign diplomas.
The verdict came as a relief to the Association of Academic Osteopaths in Switzerland (Vaos).
According to its president Jesse De Groodt, “now it is high time to find a speedy, fair, and pragmatic recognition process.”
This would also be in patients’ best interest: “It cannot be that experienced professionals have to close their practices because of bureaucratic hurdles,” he said.
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MPs urge the ‘no’ vote to Swiss neutrality proposal
The popular initiative ‘Safeguarding Swiss neutrality‘, which was spearheaded by the right-wing Swiss People’s Party (SVP), seeks to include the principle of neutrality in the constitution.
On Friday, the Council of States’ Security Commission recommended (following a similar guidance by the Federal Council in November), that the proposal be rejected, because it “aims to enshrine a rigid concept of neutrality in the constitution,” which would limit the government’s “freedom of political action.”
Specifically, Commission members “fear that accepting the initiative would significantly complicate existing cooperation in the area of security and defence policy and thus weaken Switzerland’s defence capability. In addition, it would no longer be possible, for example, to resume economic sanctions imposed on belligerent states outside the UN framework. The majority believes that this would be extremely problematic, since sanctions are currently an important instrument for responding to violations of international law.”
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Swiss Alps are increasingly the domain of the wealthy
More and more four- and five-star hotels are popping up in the Swiss mountain resorts, to the detriment of cheaper accommodations.
According to data from the umbrella group HotellerieSuisse, the number of four- and five-star hotels in the Alps has increased from 253 in 2010 to 304 in 2023, while at the same time, the number of three-star hotels has fallen significantly, from 2,900 to 2,350.
This trend toward more luxurious (and expensive) holiday accommodations is putting Swiss tourists at a disadvantage: a survey by Switzerland Tourism shows that they prefer to stay in three-star hotels, while rich tourists typically opt for more expensive ones.
“We must ensure that the balance does not tip” in favour of luxury dwellings, a tourism official said.
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